Nigeria Applies For $890 million To Combat HIV, TB, Malaria

Nigeria is applying for $890 million grant from Global Fund to reduce the burden of HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 2021 to 2023.

Dozie Ezechukwu, the Executive Secretary, Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) Global Fund Nigeria disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

CCM Nigeria, the custodian of Global Fund (GF) grant, is a body of representatives of government, bilateral and multilateral organisations, Civil Society Organisations, patients, communities, the private sector and academia.

The mandate of CCM is to oversee the delivery of Global Fund HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Resilient Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH) grant.

Mr Ezechukwu said malaria would take the highest allocation of $417. 8 million, followed by HIV with $329.1 million and Tuberculosis (TB), $143.5 million.

He said malaria will take 47 per cent of the allocation; HIV, 37 per cent, while TB will take 16 per cent.

“Global Fund encourages countries to invest in strengthening health and community systems as they are essential to accelerating progress toward ending the epidemics.’’

He said the federal government was serious about transparency and accountability for the grants to be spent properly.

“Federal Government is serious about transparency not only on this grant but other resources received from international donor partners.

“We have put in place measures to prevent any mismanagement and also had an agreement on the disbursement.

“You see that we are going for another round of application; Global Fund has even increased our allocation from what it used to be.

“We are going to take 890 million dollars for the three diseases in the next three years (2021 to 2023).”

The official thanked the CCM members “for the commitment in ensuring transparency and accountability in coordination of the grant.”

NAN reports that members of CCM met on January 17 in Abuja to discuss the provision of Indirect Cost Recovery for local NGOs serving as implementers.

They also discussed programmes to develop and roadmap on funding request for diseases, harmonising roadmap for funding request, copy of Chemonics contract to be shared by Global Fund, among others.

The meeting also deliberated on CCM operations for the year and grant performance, identified challenges and proffered solutions.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for the CCM to address emerging issues of importance.